This Week in Games: A SaGa Localization Director Dies and Sega Arcades Go Dark
Neil Broadley, localization director for the SaGa series, died after a battle with cancer, the news confirmed in the week of November 6, 2026.
1 source 7h ago
Reporting from 1 source: Anime News Network.
Why it matters
The two items sit at opposite ends of the same business: a single translator whose name carried a series' English voice, and a network failure that can switch off whole arcades at once.
Key Facts
- Neil Broadley was the localization director for the SaGa series and died after a battle with cancer.
- Broadley worked on SaGa: Emerald Beyond, Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, and Romancing SaGa 3: Destinies United.
- Akitoshi Kawazu, creator of SaGa, thanked Broadley and wrote, "Enjoy games in peace."
- A hack of Sega Fave's ALL.Net service left arcade machines unbootable.
- ALL.Net stores and shares player data across arcade machines, including some Bandai Namco titles.
Broadley worked on SaGa: Emerald Beyond, Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, and the upcoming Romancing SaGa 3: Destinies United. Separately, a hack of Sega Fave's ALL.Net service left arcade machines unbootable, with no restoration date given.
Neil Broadley's death was announced on his own account on November 6, 2026, and the SaGa team responded in public. Akitoshi Kawazu, the series' creator, thanked him and wrote, "Enjoy games in peace." Masanori Ichikawa, the series producer, posted condolences. Kazuyuki Shindo, director of SaGa: Emerald Beyond and SaGa: Scarlet Grace, wrote, "Neil, I'll ask you to translate my game again sometime."
Broadley's partner Shige asked the community to keep supporting Square Enix, saying each game is made with the passion of many people. The same week, a hack of Sega Fave's ALL.Net service left arcade machines unbootable, and the service said it had no estimate for restoration.
- Neil Broadley: SaGa localization director, died after a battle with cancer
- ALL.Net hack: Sega Fave arcade network down, machines unbootable, no restoration estimate
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Sources
- Anime News Network This Week in Games SaGa's End